Here is one of the late Mikhail Tal's games against Calvo. This is a classic King Hunt and shows that if you let an expert player in with a shout then they're more than happy to let pieces drop if they can see a mate!

Tuesday, 24 November 2009

The way that Tal dealt with 2.f4 is shown in the following game. At the time that this game was played several of England's leading grandmasters, notably Hebden, Hodgson and Watson had employed 2.f4 as a means of unseating the Sicillian experts.

By playing 2.f4 White aims to steamroll down the Kingside and hold the initiative. It is certain that up until the time of playing, more theoretical advances had been made for the benefit of White after 2.f4. Although it ended in a draw this game provides some good pointers on dealing with 2.f4.

Saturday, 21 November 2009

If your a London commuter then remember to pick up a free 'Standard' on your way home and do the tactics puzzle! Leonard Barden has been a chess commentator for years and regularly provides a puzzle and it's solution in the Evening Standard - free newspaper. The games are up to date and some of the puzzles are quite challenging ...

Monday, 9 November 2009

I was rummaging through some old chess publications (I inherited) from the 1980's last night in an attempt to find some old Albin counter-gambit games. Instead I stumbled across this little gem of a "Budapest" ...

I have picked up many ideas from Roman's DVD's ... After all he is a grandmaster and has pioneered some interesting traps for both sides ... This particular DVD contains traps from some of the common openings.

Tuesday, 29 September 2009

The Albin CG is rarely seen at the higher echelons of the chess world, presumably because black is not adjuged to have enough for the pawn with correct play. At club level however, pretty much any opening you can get a book on will prove sound enough - this is certainly true of the Albin.

The Albin Counter-Gambit begins:

1. d4 d52. c4 e5!?3. dxe5 d4

The cramping effect of the d4 pawn upon White's position is the basis of the gambit, which Black will usually attempt to justify by castling queenside and launching a kingside attack. Should White not appreciate the potential of this pawn, the following disaster might befall him/her...

4. e3? Bb4+5. Bd2 dxe36. Bxb4?? exf2+7. Ke2 (7. Kxf2 Qxd1)

7... fxg1N+!!

This underpromotion secures the win as....

8. Rxg1 fails to 8...Bg4+ winning the Queen

and

8. Ke2 fails to 8...Qh4+ followed by Qe4+ winning the Rook (if 9. g3) or Qf2+ and Bf5 (if 9.Kd2)_________________________________________________________

Instead of 4. e3?, White would do better do better to simply develop with Nf3 followed by kingside castling. A typical line might run as follows:

and the position is sharp and double-edged, though we might give a slight advantage to White based on the potential of the g2 bishop and the impending b2-b4 advance ________________________________________________________________

Alternatively, White may wish to try the Spassky Variation.

4. e4 Bb4+5. Bd2

....where the en passent capture is no longer available and white has staked a powerful claim in the centre.

Friday, 12 June 2009

On Saturday the 13th June 2009 Adam Raoof hosts another of his monthly rapidplays (you get half an hour per player for the game) at Golders Green.

The event is six rounds, so you get six games. They start promptly at 10.30am, finish at 5.45pm at the latest and you can even enter online now and save yourself some money at http://www.goldersgreenchess.blogspot.com/ - you can also find complete crosstables from events going back four years!